If I’ve learned anything in my career, it’s this: no one really knows what you’re doing, let alone appreciates that you’re doing it well. So what do you do? You become your own biggest cheerleader. You’re the only one who can truly advocate for yourself, who knows what you do during all those hours, and how you do it. You’re the only one who can and should celebrate both the small and big wins. And honestly, if you’re a person of color, it’s even more important to celebrate yourself unapologetically. Don’t let your coworkers get in your head—you deserve to take up space in every room you walk into and to own your power while you’re there.
I always joke with my coworker that I’m good at tooting my own horn. My manager doesn’t micromanage me- thank goodness. But that also means she rarely sees or speaks to me unless it’s during our quarterly evals or when something from the weekend needs clarification. So, when those moments come up, I have to tell the whole story—what case I worked on, what I did, how I solved it, and how I ensured a safe discharge. She has no clue how many patients I see—hundreds every month, even more in a quarter.
There are two things I do to make sure my manager knows what I actually do:
- When I’m asked, “How was your weekend?”
I never just say “Good.” That question is a perfect opening to share anything I want—good or bad. I take that opportunity to highlight something I did that shows off my skills and strengths. I’ll pick one patient and walk her through what happened from start to finish—what I did, how I did it, and why it matters. - During my yearly eval.
I come prepared. I track my difficult cases, moments when I went above and beyond, and anything else that stands out. Every weekend before signing off, I spend five minutes jotting down the most “newsworthy” things in my journal. That way, when it’s time to make my case for a raise, I already have the receipts. And trust me—I don’t just write a sentence or two. I write full-on essays.